Nine years
by AnnePeters
Summary: Set after nine years since Etta came into their lives. One night Olivia cannot sleep and wakes up to a big surprise. I may continue to post some stories in this universe that exists in my head.
1. Chapter 1

Olivia wakes up in the middle of the night and she immediately knows there is a different reason why she cannot sleep, she needs Peter. She turns to her side and stares at him, this is usually enough for him to wake up because they are attuned to each other by now. However, he keeps breathing peacefully and she nuzzles his neck. This time he opens his eyes, he seems tired. "Can I touch you?" she says and he smiles before mumbling "yes". So, she touches him and is happy when she realizes how she still affects him. She continues to kiss him on his neck when she confronts the reality: he is asleep, completely asleep. And she knows better than feeling rejected, they had not slept for two nights in a row due to a case, he needs sleep, why doesn't she? The heat does not go away and she knows she has to relieve herself, either that or a shower, but a shower may cause too much noise and make it hard for Peter to sleep restlessly, so she goes into the spare room to get it done. It is two hours later that she wakes up again with the same need. _What the hell_ , she thinks. She's really far away from being a teenager, and the last time she felt so hormonal and full of desire was when… oh. She does not want to think of the word, but that's it for her, she will not be able to sleep. She drives to the closest pharmacy and gets the stupid test. Isn't she too old? She knows her body is not, but maybe she is. And the pills, she was taking them, just like the last decade. It never said 100% effective in the package, however. When she is back, she finds a very sleepy, but awake Peter. He has her phone in his hand.

"God, Olivia, I thought something terrible happened for you not to take your phone with you"

She walks closer to him and kisses him lightly on his lips. "I'm sorry, Peter, I just had to go buy something". She doesn't tell him more, and she senses how he gives her the necessary space. Nine years of marriage had made them incredibly perceptive to everything. Olivia goes into the toilet and pees in the goddamn stick, she waits, hearing the drum of her heartbeat so strongly she knows there is no chance of relaxing and then she sees the answer: Pregnant.

She is still in shock when Peter knocks on the door, she lets out a "come in" and he opens the door, he finds her sitting on the floor staring at the stick. She looks at him and she knows he will smile in a second or two. "You always wanted a tribe of Bishops" she tells him as he sits next to her. She gets close to the bin and puts the stick there, just so she can get closer to Peter in the floor. "I'm old" she says, "Olivia, everything's going to be okay. We'll just have to go to the doctor, he'll give you some vitamins, you'll need more controls than with Etta, you'll need more rest, but that doesn't mean it's going to be impossible". She smiles at his words and raises her hand to touch his face, they kiss a small kiss and he carries her to the bed. She laughs thinking that the last time he did something like that was when they were still young. Maybe she has to come to terms with the fact that she is somehow still young. Peter is so happy she feels his happiness radiating from him, she wants to soak in it and they start kissing, very small, slow kisses that turn into a long session of making love. They are expecting another baby, they still have to tell Etta and Astrid and Rachel. Everything will be okay.


	2. Telling everyone

Telling everyone

Etta's favorite food, just like her mom's, was Indian. One day, instead of taking the school bus to their house, she found her parents outside of her school, they were taking her to her favorite restaurant. She was still wearing her uniform, but she was pretty used to going everywhere in it. It was Nina who had insisted on paying for a private school for Etta, and since Peter and Olivia had seen what a smart little girl she was, they accepted. Olivia, more than Peter, but he was not going to argue with her. Besides, Peter knew Walter would have taken Olivia's side.

Etta sat next to Peter, leaving Olivia in the other side of the table. Olivia sometimes envied the easy relationship Peter had with their daughter, she was daddy's little girl, after all, but it wasn't like she didn't get along with her daughter or anything, it was just a matter of ease. After ordering, Olivia sensed Etta was not feeling well.

"What's the matter, honey?" Etta had complained a lot lately that her mother had been using the endearment "baby girl" when she was clearly not a baby girl anymore, so Olivia was using other terms, feeling like her girl was growing too fast for her taste.

"Mom, Dad, are you getting divorced? I mean, I know you're not, I have found you kissing more than I would have liked to, but this is out of nowhere, and this is exactly how it happened with my classmates' parents" she seemed calm, or mature would be the better word.

"Oh no, baby…" Olivia bit her tongue.

Peter looked at Olivia saying he would take care of it.

"Etta, as you can probably guess by your mom's face, we are not getting a divorce"

Etta laughed at Olivia's expense, but Olivia was just happy that her daughter was in a better mood already. Peter was always good at making her family feel good. "It's actually, the contraire" Peter continued. "Kiddo, you are going to have a new sibling".

Peter and Olivia, both, expected Etta to be extremely happy, what they got instead was a confused expression.

"Oh, my God, Ew" she said looking at them both. But then she smiled. "Wow, I'm going to be a big sister"

Peter put his arms on Etta's shoulders and drew closer to him. "And whatever happens, Etta, you are our daughter, and we love you very much and a new baby won't make that change"

"Dad! I'm not six"

"Yes, honey" Olivia added, "but we still wanted to tell you that, because we you love you so very much, just as if you were still our baby girl" Olivia felt the need to hug her daughter, so she stood up to reach to her.

The three ended up in a family embrace.

-.-.-

"Mom" Etta screamed from the kitchen.

"Etta, what have I told you about screaming in this house!" Olivia answered.

"Sorry" she excused herself. "but I wanted to tell you that I'm going to sleep at Aunt Astrid's and Aunt Claire's house this night, I thought about in during school".

"Does she know?"

"Yeah, I called her from the bus, she'll come pick me up soon"

"So, you won't watch the game with your dad tonight?"

Etta suddenly looked livid, she had forgotten about the hockey game. Her dad and she would always watch the games. What had she been so focused on that she hadn't remembered it?

"Should I call to cancel them? What if they are a block away?" Etta looked distressed.

"I have another idea" said Olivia. "Let them come and go with them, you haven't been out in a while, I'll talk to your dad, but you will have to call him afterwards to say you're sorry"

Astrid arrived alone to pick the young Bishop. Etta loved going to visit her because Astrid taught her a lot of things, like knitting, painting and dancing. She also felt she could talk to her about things she wasn't as sure she would be able to tell her parents. They hugged each other and then Astrid hugged Olivia. "Is Peter here?" she asked.

"No, Nina has him solving some patent problem on something that apparently, Walter invented, he'll come before dinner. I don't think you'll see him this time".

"Oh, well, tell him I said hi"

"Mom!" said Etta smiling widely "Can I tell her?"

"Sure, honey" she was smiling as well.

"Aunt Astrid, I'm going to have a baby brother!"

Olivia laughed, "we don't know if it's a baby brother yet, just a baby for now"

Astrid hugged Olivia, again, while some tears came down from her eyes. "I'm so happy I'm going to be an aunt again" Etta giggled. "Common monkey, we will knit some socks for the baby, maybe some sweaters, Claire is going to be so happy at the news"

When Peter arrived, Olivia explained Astrid's reaction while at dinner. As to Etta, Olivia told him that she was growing up, and that he couldn't probably expect her to see the games with him all the time. He seemed genuinely sad. "What she did still wasn't correct because she did have a plan with you, you'll have to talk about it. Maybe you could reach a deal, like that you cannot miss the most important games or something". He was still sad, but he started washing the dishes. "Don't worry Peter" she said, over his shoulder, "there will be a new Bishop soon, and they will probably watch all the games with you for the next 10 years!"

.-.-.-

Peter was at Massive Dynamic when he started daydreaming about the new baby. He did not care if it was a boy or a girl, even if Dunham girls (or Bishop, in this case) were his downfall. So, he didn't realise he was about to drop a flask that contained what could have been an invisibility lotion, until he actually dropped it. Nina was passing there, by chance, and seeing this, coughed a bit, until Peter looked at her. "Anything wrong at home, Peter?" she said.

The bad thing of practically working with his mother in-law was how she would ask those questions once in a while. He gritted his teeth, "No, Nina, actually, we are very happy right now because Olivia is pregnant"

Peter regretted saying this word the moment he finished the last one, he realised it was Olivia who should have told her. But Nina seemed happy enough to congratulate him really fast and make a phone call to Olivia at the next second. "Peter here is telling me you are pregnant, darling…" Peter took off his gloves and touched the sweat on his forehead, invisibility did not matter against Olivia and her right to tell her adoptive mom about their baby.

.-.-.-

When Olivia woke up, she found herself interlaced with Peter's members. Peter had been moping the night before, without his daughter to watch the game and all, but there were benefits to having the night for themselves. Olivia kissed Peter's shoulder softly, he mumbled something that sounded more like a growl. She laughed and kissed him on his cheek.

"Peter, you'll come with me to see Rachel today".

"Are you giving me orders now?" She playfully hit him on his ribs. "Oh my god, so many déjà vus of when you were pregnant the last time".

She stared at him and went to the shower, "I'll let you chose if you join me in the shower"

He went to the shower but he also went to see Rachel.

A lot of things had happened with Olivia's little sister since the last time she had been pregnant, she had separated from Greg (finally) and was living in Boston with Ella and Eddie. Ella had taken a year off before going to college and Eddie was still a boy.

They parked outside and Olivia thought this time would be different as well, her sister had barely known Peter before, and at some point, she had admitted to thinking Etta was the result of a one night stand. This time she would be happy and no weird ideas would be in her head.

They knocked on the door and Rachel opened still in her pyjamas. "Olivia, you could've told me you were coming!" Peter laughed and made Rachel understand it didn't matter what she was wearing. "Eddie is in his soccer class and Ella is at her work" Rachel said and Olivia went directly to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee, the joy of being in a house where you felt comfortable. That was of course until she realised she couldn't drink coffee, she kept forgetting that. Rachel sat at the table and Peter decided to stay standing up next to the stove.

"We want to tell you something Rachel" Olivia said.

"Of course, why else would you come at this time and without telling me!"

"We wanted to surprise you" Peter commented, he moved closer to Olivia.

"Rachel, we…" Olivia breathed deeply "We are expecting another baby!"

"Oh, God" squealed Rachel in delight. "It was time! I wanted to be an aunt a second time. And Ella and Eddie are going to be so excited!"

Olivia breathed normally and realised she had been tense.

"oh, Ella… maybe you'll get to be a grandma soon too" Peter said and Rachel looked at him, horrified.

"That was not a nice joke Peter!" Olivia said. Peter apologized immediately. They talked over coffee and tea, reminiscing of the stories they had with their respective children.


	3. Lizzy

Peter, Olivia and Etta were in the kitchen. Etta was sitting on the table, checking her tablet, Olivia was cooking breakfast and Peter kept trying to look for something in the washing machine that was in a room, which was only accessible through the kitchen. "Your daughter" he declared triumphantly with a unicorn t-shirt on his hands, "doesn't want to get dressed unless she has this t-shirt every single day of her tiny life. I think I'll have to continue washing it every night, just so the princess can wear it" Olivia chuckled and Etta looked at him unimpressed, "Dad, she's won already, you have no chance against her".

At that precise moment, a toddler of around two years entered the kitchen. She was only wearing panties. "Miss! What happened to your socks and pants?" asked Peter, shocked. "No pants!" she said, as if defying him. Olivia gave Peter the spatula she was using for the pancakes and took the shirt from his. "Lizzy, baby, come here" Olivia hugged her daughter and smelled her as if she possessed the most beautiful aroma. She sat her on the kitchen table and started putting the shirt on her. She had brown hair, like her dad, but her mom's eyes, Olivia couldn't believe her luck in having such amazing daughters. Whenever Olivia dressed her, Elizabeth was the best kid in the world. No such luck with her father. It was Peter who spent most of the time with his daughter; when she had been born, he told Olivia that she could continue to be the head of Fringe division after her two months' leave. He would take the responsibility this time around; he would take a year off Massive Dynamic. It's not that they needed the money, so it was okay. After the year, he went back to the company and little Lizzy followed him everywhere. Since Nina also dotted on her new granddaughter, nobody had said anything to him about bringing his daughter to work.

There was something innocent and pure about Elizabeth, she was the kid that hadn't suffered. Olivia chastised herself for Etta because Etta had seen and felt the loss of her grandfather, and had gone through not so nice tests to see if Cortexiphan was in her system, and had had nightmares throughout her childhood involving bald men trying to hurt her and her family. "Mom, you are thinking too hard," Etta said to her; she was smiling Peter's trade smirk. "That's one of your mom's talents, kiddo" Peter said, giving them their pancakes and orange juice, and coffee for Olivia. Olivia just shrugged and started feeding Lizzy. Anyways, Etta had still grown with parents that loved her to pieces. Olivia would do anything to keep it that way.


	4. Naming Lizzy

This chapter is situated before the last one, this story will not have time continuity I think.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Olivia was talking to Etta, or more specifically, was trying to explain to her why her parents hadn't tried to have another child after her.

"So, mom, are you saying this baby here was an accident?"

"Yes sweetie" Olivia chuckled, "but so were you -"

"Ok, that's enough, I'm not old enough for this yet" She looked a bit horrified, but the entrance of her father saved her.

"Etta, kiddo, you look like you just saw a ghost!"

"Nope, worst, I'll leave her under your care" Etta said with an obvious ironic tint in her voice.

Peter chuckled and moved closer to Olivia.

"I brought you five new ice packs"

"And none of them are frozen yet" she said quite disappointed.

If taking care of Olivia when she had been in the last month of pregnancy with Etta had been demanding, this one was the god of demanding. But Peter wanted the baby, so he knew better and was accepting all of Olivia's requests, which had become mostly about heat since the summer had started.

"Yes, but they are on the way to become frozen, and you have two that are on your feet right now"

"Not enough" said Olivia. She was also frustrated that she had been forced to leave her job for the ninth month carrying baby Bishop-Dunham number two. And in the heat, she just wanted to ask her daughter to please come out of her as fast as possible. Then she thought of something she had wanted to tell Peter since a week ago, but he had either been busy or somewhat avoiding her, she was sure of it, or her pregnancy hormones were sure of it.

"Peter, I know what I want to call her!"

"You do?" Peter smiled.

"Yes, she's going to be called Elizabeth, after your mother, and the name is gorgeous" In the first moments after she said that sentence, he seemed a bit off. "Is something wrong, Peter? I'm sorry, I thought it would be nice, I have a backup, we don't have to name her that"

"No, you know what? She was the first person who gave me a home in this world, and in the other world she is still alive, it would be amazing to call her Elizabeth" He smiled while saying that.

"Do you want to know her second name?"

"Don't I get the honour of choosing her second name?" Peter bestowed upon her one of his trademark smiles.

Olivia laughed loudly, "Are you serious? After the whole ordeal with naming your first daughter Henrietta?"

Peter knew better than to reply.

"It's Astrid, Elizabeth Astrid Bishop-Dunham"

Peter smiled. After all, Astrid was, to both of them, a wonderful sister, and she hadn't had any children and loved Etta with her whole heart.

"I think Astrid will love it and that little Lizzy here will love it as well" He placed his hands over her stomach. Olivia looked at him and whispered, "Could you please tell her to come out soon?" He laughed and kissed Olivia on her forehead.

After a while, when the new ice packs were already frozen and on top of Olivia, Peter said "You know Dunham girls are my ending, how am I going to survive another one?!" Olivia laughed, "Is that really what's on your mind, Peter?" He seemed abashed. She laughed a bit more, "Peter, you've been a great father to Etta, you were the one who made all the doctor appointments after we found out I was pregnant and you put up with my terrible moods! You'll be fine" She reached for his lips with her own and Peter really hoped that what she said would be the truth.


	5. Nina

In the beginning, the hardest part of being with the woman he loved was who would eventually become his mother in law. Nina Sharp may have told Olivia that she supported her decision of forgetting her old life, but it didn't mean she was fine with it. Her daughter had forgotten a lifetime with her, and who was to blame? Peter. She would never blame Olivia, anyways. So, the first time Olivia took Peter to dinner at Nina's, as an official couple, things were awkward at best. Luckily, the news that she would be a grandmother saved the night of anything worse. Nina was a smart woman, so she didn't act like she hated him, but she was wary of him. She did engage in small talk, but then she remembered a story of when Olivia was sixteen and had to tell it in its entirety. After that, her mood decreased considerably. Olivia excused them both and Peter waited outside while he heard the mother of his future child apologizing and Nina saying everything was fine, which it wasn't, of course.

Then, one day he had to go to Massive Dynamic to run a test on a machine that seemed to be owned only by them, and of course, he met Nina there. She said hello, but she seemed indifferent to him.

The next time they met was once they were having breakfast when Nina arrived to Olivia's apartment, she had brought a small present that turned out to be a onesie with the words Massive Dynamic printed on it. Nina was genuinely happy, and Olivia was too. Peter still felt out of the family, however. After the woman left, Olivia told him he was being ridiculous, but he knew something had to be done, so he decided to be brave and went to talk to Nina. She didn't seem happy to receive him.

"Miss Sharp" he said, like a teenager who's just met his girlfriend's mom. She raised her eyebrows.

"I know you don't like me too much and I understand it, but I wanted to tell you that I really love Olivia, she is my everything. I will never do anything to harm her"

Nina looked like she was about to talk, but he continued, "I know you don't know me like to believe me, but I have an idea of something I want to do for 'Livia"

"I'm listening Mr. Bishop" she said, with the same formality he had used to address her in the first place.

"If it's okay with you, I was thinking that maybe you could write down your favorite memories of Olivia. It's fine if you just type them in the computer. I will transcribe them on a notebook. I would also like to have pictures to include. Just of you, I don't think Olive should forget what she lived, and I think she would very much like to have something like that."

Nina looked at him surprised, "I think that is a great idea, Peter"

Peter smiled the charming smile he had been reserving for this moment.

"Oh and could I ask you something else Miss Sharp? You see, I would do it myself if I could, but Rachel doesn't know about me in this timeline yet. Could you please ask her to do something similar? We could say it's for Olivia's birthday. And it could be about her best memories with Olivia, and some pictures of Ella and Eddie would complete this."

"I will, if you stop calling me Miss Sharp" said Nina, smiling at him.

"Sure Nina" he said, actually happy.

Three months later, Peter and Nina presented Olivia a wonderful leather bounded notebook with all the stories she had lost, but shouldn't have had to lose. They shared an amazing dinner and Peter felt like he could breathe in peace.


End file.
